//------------------------------// // A day in Griffinstone: Marie // Story: Tales from Tinies. // by MrAquino //------------------------------// I stretched and yawned as I got up for the day. My days at the orphanage feel like they aren't ever going to end. I grabbed my clothes and join the line in the hallway for use of the bathrooms. "I should have got up early." I sighed, waiting in the massive line. I take the time to do some more stretches. Miss Tawny says that someone has been asking her about me. I hope that means they're planning to adopt me. Being in the first orphanage in Griffonstone isn't easy, especially when it's originally for griffons. It's lucky enough that my roommate had let me sleep in my own bed last night, rather than her tummy. It gets worse though, the orphanage bullies also like to swallow the humans that they deem to pick on, and then there's Miss Tawny's protection from them, whereas instead of being in their bellies, it's hers. She's a lot nicer than they are, but still, being inside a stomach is a scary thing, especially the first time. My roommate isn't too bad though; she's probably about as old as I am, and the big reason she likes to swallow me before bedtime is because she get's scared at night and having me in there makes her feel better. It's sorta like a big cuddle or hug because no matter where you go, you are touching them. Sometimes it's also kinda fun pretending to be exploring a cave, though that did get me into a little bit of trouble with Miss Tawny. Basically, I ended up exploring a little too far, and... well... she was quite red when I finally got back out into the orphanage, and I don't think she was angry red. She also bathed me herself because I definitely wasn't clean. She scrubbed so hard, I got the message never to do that again. I make it through the line and then join my roommate for breakfast when I finish in the bathroom. Orphanage food isn't the best, but still it's food. Kia and I sit together for a while eating breakfast. "I wish Trisha were still young enough to live here." Elice sighs. Trisha, her last roommate, is also a Griffon, but she was too old to live in the orphanage. She lives somewhere in Griffonstone now, and sometimes, I join Elice in visiting her when we are allowed to leave the orphanage. We go back to our room and get ready for our day of exploring Griffonstone. Well, I'm going to my favorite spot and Elice is going to go visit Trisha again. I grab my only possession of home besides my clothes; a small, working toy lantern. It's batteries and the little light bulb in it still work, if not, barely, though it's nice enough to help me get through the safe tunnel I take to get there. I found it one day escaping the bullies, and I'm the only one who knows of it. It leads to this pretty secluded spot with a nice lake, (though it's a puddle to griffons), and it's also kept secret by the bushes there. Elice and I head out into Griffonstone and she drops me off near the tunnel. I walk into the tunnel and turn on my lantern. While it's light definitely helps me make my way through it, the light isn't powerful enough to really reveal any detail. It takes a while, but I start nearing the end. The tunnel starts to feel a bit weird so I stop, using my lantern to try and get a better view, even though it doesn't help much. The tunnel seems so soft and squishy here. I turn around and notice something in the soft light of my lantern. Huh? The tunnel, why is it so short now. The place looks kinda familiar, so I tilt my head one way, but it just looks odd, and then I tilt it the other. When the points line up, I know where I am. I'm in a griffon's beak and it's HUGE!"WOAH!" The floor is moving, no wait, the griffon is moving! I turn around to make sure I don't back up into the one place I don't want to go. I look at the griffon's throat, it's open so wide. This griffon is so big it could swallow Elice whole! I let out a scream as the whole place tilts upward. Backing up, my feet slip out from under me and I land on my bum as the griffon turns itself into a giant, living slide. I watch as my lantern rolls its way down, and I'm next. I hear a loud sound and the griffon's tongue lifts up causing me to slide down. I scream the whole way as I slide down. The slide comes to an end and I fall for a while before landing on the soft floor of its stomach. It's so big Elice could stand up in here, but she'd only really have room to turn around, she wouldn't be able to walk around to far. If this griffon really tried, it could probably fit two griffon kids in here, or one small adult griffon, but that griffon would have to be pretty small, and too tired to fight. I, however, got up and tried to climb against the pulsing walls of it's stomach, but due to it's size & the amount of slime falling, it was impossible! I hear the griffon giggle. "Caught you, Marie." The griffon says in a pretty woman voice. She knows me?! I gasp, "Y-you know me?!" She hums a yes. "It's nice to finally meet you Marie, I'm Sasha. I've heard so many good things about you from the orphanage owners." "Y-You were the one wanting to adopt me!?" I yell in surprise. A griffon wants to adopt me?! I didn't know griffons would adopt human kids, I thought they just ate them every so often. A lot of the time, orphans who went exploring would be gone for a night or two before coming back, though some wouldn't ever come back, but that didn't happen a lot. She hums again. "Don't worry, I'm going to take good care of you too. Even better, I have a friend who's taking care of a human about your age. His name is Kyle and loves to play games too. He's a very shy around me, but I know you two will get along." Another human kid my age? Most kids at the orphanage are either to old and don't want to be my friend, or too young so they stay inside Miss Tawny's sister. Maybe this isn't so bad after all. "Okay, I'm going to fly now, don't worry, I'll make sure to stay slow and even so you don't get tossed around in there." "O-okay. Um, Sasha, um, a-are you my friend too?" I ask, hoping she isn't just doing this to have a snack wandering around her home. "Of course I am, but I'm also something more too, I'm your new mommy!" She says to me happily. New Mommy. The words echo in my head. She means it, she wants me for me and not just as a fun toy like my lamp. I rush over to one of the walls and push against it as hard as I can, rubbing my cheek against it crying happily. I feel something squeeze lightly around me. Sasha was patting her belly, probably as a means to hug right back. "D-do I have brothers and sisters now?" I ask, kinda happy and, at the same time, kinda scared. She giggles a bit. "Not yet, but maybe someday soon." She must be kinda scary to other griffons too. "Marie, mommy's gonna handle some business stuff, so feel free to take a nap in there." "O-okay." I agree. Besides how frightened I was before, the nice, warm, kinda wet world of my now adoptive mommy's belly, with the relaxing beats of her heart, sounds of her breathing, and now the sounds of her wings beating, I'm getting really tired. I never really slept all to good in the orphanage anyway, between the cold when I slept in my own bed, the nightmares, and the bullies. I slowly walk over to my lamp, which is kinda hard with her tummy moving so much. As I pick it up, I see where her stomach finally ends. The huge bundle of muscles closed tightly like a huge door, but I'm too tired to want to go through there and see just how big the rest of her is too. Shutting my lamp off, I head back over to the front of her belly and I find a nice spot where I lie down and give her some more hugs before going to sleep. During my sleep, I wake up a bit to the weird feeling of something pressing up under me and rubbing back and forth. "Goodnight Marie." I here Sasha say. Still sleepy I snuggle back. "Goodnight new griffon mommy." I say before going back to sleep. The place tightened a bit, but it was more of a hug rather than being crushed. I wonder what you look like, mommy.